Jade Garden Brings Back Seasoned HK chefs to bring authentic Chinese food artistry

Foodies need not to travel far to experience authentic Chinese dining. With the return of Jade Garden, a popular fine dining restaurant, those craving for Cantonese cuisine at its core traditions coupled with well-executed innovations may now enjoy them at Jade Garden. The iconic restaurant known for serving traditional and contemporary Cantonese cuisine has welcomed back its loyal clientele and has been steadily building a new batch of esteemed patrons. On any given day, Jade Garden plays host to memorable get-togethers¾from business meetings over lunch, to celebratory family gatherings and even romantic dinners for couples.

Jade Garden owes its grand comeback mainly to the leadership of Executive Chef Ho Chi Kwong and Assistant Executive Chef Keith Lau, both having undergone proper training with the prestigious food conglomerate Maxim’s Caterers Limited in Hong Kong. Established in their own right, it is the chefs’ culinary expertise that makes authentic Chinese flavors come alive at Jade Garden, and keep guests coming back for more.

 

Kwong revealed that seafood dishes are a main draw at Jade Garden, citing the Rock Lobster, which can be baked with butter and garlic, deep-fried with chili and pepper, or steamed with minced garlic, and the Lapu-Lapu with French bean, as all-time crowd pleasers. Kwong, in particular, is very much familiar with the local palate given his length of stay in the country, going all the way back to the early 90s when Jade Garden first came to the Philippines. “Filipino food culture is big on fried food and dipping sauces, which is almost the exact opposite of the foundations of Cantonese cuisine, with its focus on freshness and subtlety,” he adds. “We always strive to strike that balance and make certain adjustments to please our diners while maintaining the quality and essence of the food we serve.”

He also shares that he has to keep studying and learning about new food preparation techniques and trends to keep the menu interesting. As far as inspiration goes, Kwong makes it a point to check out the restaurants around the area, read various cookbooks and watch his favorite cooking shows. The impressive and ever-growing menu welcomes new dishes every month or every two weeks, sometimes upon the request of its loyal diners. “Sometimes they request for something else apart from their go-to orders and we take it as a challenge to come up with something new. Other times, we introduce certain dishes to them as part of our seasonal menu,” he says.

 

Making for a superb dining experience at Jade Garden is the sophisticated ambience and the plethora of offerings, made with the freshest quality ingredients using top grade equipment and handled with utmost precision and technicality only the best can execute. “In our day-to-day operations, it’s SOP to practice the “first in, first out” system, in that the goods that are delivered the earliest are the first to be prepared and served,” Kwong says. “This helps to ensure our guests are always satisfied with the food and service, and from the feedback we get, we know they are.”

Explore the best of what Cantonese cuisine can offer and head to Jade Garden today! Jade Garden is located at the 2nd level of Glorietta 2, Palm Drive corner West Drive, Ayala Center, Makati. For details and reservations, contact 843-1361 and 955-1808.

 

Luyong Restaurant: Quaint Cantonese Dining in the Heart of Marikina

The very first time I heard about Luyong Restaurant was through my foodie friend Joanne Tuanquin. She was raving about how good the Lumpiang Shanghai (deep fried egg rolls) at this restaurant. At the time, my initial reaction was, "For a mere Lumpiang Shanghai, you'd be willing to travel all the way to Marikina? But Lumpiang Shanghai's so easy to do--you can do it even at the confines of your own kitchen, why bother to go to this restaurant called Luyong's? What is it about Luyong's Lumpiang Shanghai that keeps my friend from coming back to this restaurant?" 

All of my questions above were finally answered when I myself found my way to Luyong's quaint Cantonese restaurant located in the heart of Marikina (just a few blocks from Rodriguez Sports Center and Savemore Supermarket). Call it serendipity, I was in Marikina to accompany two of my good friends as they were looking for a house. We decided to grab some snack at Luyong's and as a foodie, it was probably my time to taste and savor their well-known deep fried Lumpuang Shanghai rolls. 

Luyong's Menu wasn't exactly impressive because it only had (apart from the best selling Lumpiang Shanghai rolls, of course) a variety of pancit, namely: bihon, canton, miki-bihon, bihon tostado, lomi, but what has intrigued me the mosts are these two called pinagulong, and alanganin. Too bad, we didn't have enough time to try these 'pancit pinagulong' (which literally means 'rolled') and 'pancit alanganin'. I promised myself that the next time I'd visit Luyong's, I'd order these two 'uniquely named pancit' and get to know the difference. 

Aside from pancit, Luyong's offer a wide variety of soups to start off your meal, all sorts of viands one can do with Lapu-lapu fish, some rice toppings, fried dishes like Lechon Kawali, Camaron Rebosado, Fried Chicken, beef, liver and pork steak, Macau longganisa, buttered chicken, pinsec prito, sweet and sour stuff, a slew of vegetable based viands, and even bottles of beer on their beverage choices. 

But overall, Luyong's could easily be classified as 'Binondo-type' kind of restaurant that offers authenitic Cantonese fare. I actually find Luyong's as a bit pricey considering the restaurant itself doesn't offer a much cozy ambiance. What they have are simply what I can classify as authentic Chinese comfort foods. And, oh, I now understand why my friend went loco over Luyong's Lumpiang Shanghai rolls! For 12 small rolls at Php180, it's pretty expensive. But Luyong's have all the right to sell them at that price---for it's worth your every bite. Luyong's Shanghai rolls had the crunchiest rolls stuffed and filled up with the finest tasting meat inside. Every morsel of such heavenly lumpia pieces are enough to make you do cartwheels. That's how good those Luyong lumpia rolls are! Now, I no longer wonder why people would come and flock this small yet quaint Chinese restaurant in Marikina, their shanghai rolls alone rocks! 'Nuff said! 

So if you're craving for some authentic Cantonese casual dining, try Luyong's Restaurant in Marikina. Don't you forget to order their Shanghai rolls--don't be surprised too if you could eat the entire plate in one sitting! 

Luyong's Restaurant is located in Sto. Nino, Marikina City

Call 941-4672 or 942-0740. 

Luyong's is opened from 11am-2pm for lunch and 5-10pm (except Mondays they close at 9pm) for dinner. 

Disclaimer: I am not compensated for this post. Opinions expressed are 100% my own.